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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24027169">those hardest to love</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avescor/pseuds/Avescor'>Avescor</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Delinquent Children, Family, Female Harry Potter, Humor, Mudblood Revolution, Pairings undecided, Snape has a heart attack</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 01:27:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,744</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24027169</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avescor/pseuds/Avescor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>["If you're looking for the girl, she's been gone for years. Ran off with that awful Black boy as soon she hit puberty." </p><p>Petunia Dursley, indignant and still in her dressing gown, slammed the door. This rather nasty summation of events was true but its nastier implications could not be any further from the truth. Yet when did the headlines ever care about that? </p><p>UNDERAGE GIRL-WHO-LIVED RUNS OFF WITH OLDER BOYFRIEND </p><p>THE KIDNAPPER OF HARRIET POTTER. WHO IS THIS MYSTERIOUS BOY? </p><p>MYSTERIOUS KIDNAPPER, POSSIBLE BLACK?]</p><p>After running away for years, Harriet Potter returns to the Wizarding World, unruly friends in tow. She proves herself as great a delinquent as her father, some might say. </p><p>Fourth year. Adventure/Family/Humor.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>95</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>those hardest to love</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is an idea that's been dancing around in my head for years, but I had no ideas for it. Recently I decided to give it life. I'll add more once inspiration strikes.</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Harriet Potter is missing, Sirius is simultaneously both lost and found. The news headlines are ridiculous.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"If you're looking for the girl, she's been gone for years. Ran off with that awful Black boy the moment she hit puberty like the little tart she is!" </p><p>Petunia Dursley, indignant and still in her dressing gown, slammed the door. This rather nasty summation of events was true but its nastier implications could not be any further from the truth. The reporters who caught wind of this did not care. Since when had the headlines ever cared about <em>truth</em>?</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <strong>GIRL WHO LIVED MISSING!</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>DUMBLEDORE LOST THE GIRL WHO LIVED!</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>BRITAIN HAS LOST ITS MOST FAMOUS WITCH! WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS OVERSIGHT? </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>WANTED: SIRIUS BLACK </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>SIRIUS BLACK KIDNAPS GIRL-WHO-LIVED</strong>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p><br/>
Then of course, somebody had the presence of mind to suggest to the Minister to check Azkaban. A bewildered Sirius Black stared up from behind The Prophet. According to his shadowy wardens, he'd been there the entire time. They checked the prison but there was no sign of an eleven year old little girl. As Minister Fudge turned to leave, there was a shout. </p><p>"Wait!" It was Sirius Black. His face was as dark as his name implied. His voice had the low, menacing growl expected of Voldemort's Hand Man. He looked every bit the mad murderer he was accused of being. </p><p>"Who did you say she ran off with?" </p><p>Intimidated, the Minister and his aurors looked at one another. They looked at Sirius Black's murderous expression. Little did they know that this was his default expression. </p><p>"Plea bargain?" Shacklebolt suggested. </p><p>"How could we!? It'll cause a scandal! It'll make everybody feel unsafe! Re-election's coming up, you know." The Minister insisted. </p><p>Well then. </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>The newspapers amended their headlines accordingly.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <strong>SIRIUS BLACK IN AZKBAN ENTIRE TIME! </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>SIRIUS BLACK ESCAPES AZKABAN</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>GIRL WHO LIVED KEPT IN DIRTY AZKABAN CELL FOR NEARLY THIRTEEN YEARS!</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>MINISTER FUDGE CREATES AUROR TASK FORCE </strong>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p><br/>
Sirius refused to thank Lucius Malfoy for giving the Minister the suggestion of an Auror taskforce. It was a smart, quick way to bring Harry home, but for what reason? For what reason would he want to bring her home save to satisfy his dark master? </p><p>Did Narcissa even know about the illegitimate child he forced onto Mary McDonald? Did she even care?</p><p>Sirius lived as a dog without dignity. He lurked in deserted street alleys and ate out of trash cans. He chased pigeons just because he could. He hid out near wizarding houses, hoping desperately for news. </p><p>He did this all without a second moment of regret. Better a good man in pain than scum living well. He felt regret regularly for his rash actions, for how he could've been better. He regretted a lot of things. But most of all, he regretted that there would be no judgement for men like Pettigrew.</p><p>Lucky him. It left him free to dispense it himself. </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <strong>HARRY POTTER STILL MISSING, DUMBLEDORE STILL DISGRACED! </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>PETTIGREW FOUND ALIVE IN YOUNG BOY'S BED! </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>PETTIGREW: I WAS HIDING FROM BLACK! I SWEAR!</strong>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p><br/>
"You know me, Ron. Percy. I've been your family pet for years...don't you remember? I never did anything then. Why would I do something now? Instead, think of me as a family... guardian for you children."</p><p>"You slept with me in my bed! I trusted you!" Ron shouted. The third year had been repeating this for the last five minutes. It hurt to see it. </p><p>Percy stood in front of a pale faced Ron with the stony expression he used to deal with troublemakers. His jaw was set. His eyes blazing. Behind them were the twins to stand guard, with one assigned to the door to act as look out. All of their wands were out and held as if they wanted to jab Pettigrew in the eye. </p><p>"Is that what you told my brother to get him to hide you from the law?" Percy asked angrily. He pulled out his wand. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you've got nothing to ever fear again."</p><p>Seventeen year old Percy was broad shouldered and armed with years of experience dealing with delinquents, rule breakers, and the twins. Most importantly, he had a brother that dealt in ancient curses. </p><p>A loud shout rang through the air. Pettigrew began to scream. </p><p>Nobody was sure who did it, but it set off a storm of hexes. Nearly half a dozen shouts echoed through the Gryffindor common room before Pettigrew was hexed into oblivion. The balding, rat-like man fell to the curse easily enough, and toppled over floor like a big, fat lifeless slug. A big, fat tied up slug. </p><p>"Granger, get McGonagall!"</p><p>"She's already gone, Percy." Oliver Wood said with a nonchalant lowering of his wand. "It <em>is</em> 6:46. Too late for practice. Slytherin's after. Do you think McGonagall will hand us the quidditch pitch anyway? We did stop a criminal after all. Forget Snape! We saved the day!"</p><p>Fred toed the slug man a bit before getting one good kick in the groin in. Nobody winced. </p><p>"Nice of you to try to send her after you've already cursed him, Brother o' Mine." George said as he slunk in from his watch out position. </p><p>Percy turned to the bewildered Ron and put his hands on those small, thin shoulders. He was seventeen, a legal adult and the oldest of his brothers here at Hogwarts. In the absence of his parents, it was his duty to watch his siblings. <em>He failed. </em></p><p>"I'm sorry, Ron. I was so busy with my my new duties that I didn't think - " he swallowed thickly. "I've failed you. I've failed everyone."</p><p>"No..." Ron said shakily. He looked at the man who had been secretly sleeping in their beds since they were children. </p><p>He'd thought the rat as something of a childhood friend, however unwanted the pet might have been. It never occurred to him that Pettigrew might have been using him until he tried to threaten Ginny's life. Although the man did not do what the seventh years (and the twins) accused him of, Ron understood that they were trying to protect him. </p><p>"I'd say you did brilliant, Percy." He said hoarsely. </p><p>He felt a little warm inside, to be honest. It was nice to be defended. </p><p>"Better me than Ginny at an rate. Right?" He offered it in as light a tone as he could manage. Ron forced his lips into a grin. </p><p>Percy looked sick. "There's only one of you, Ron."</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p><br/>
<strong>PETTIGREW LOCKED UP, CONFESSES TO MURDER OF JAMES AND LILY POTTER!</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>SIRIUS BLACK INNOCENT!</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>FUDGE CORRECTS BAGNOLD'S GREATEST SHAME</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>SIRIUS BLACK: A GRAVE MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE? </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>WHERE IS HE NOW? </strong>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p><br/>
"Sirius!" Remus shouted as he ran through the cold snow outside of his parent's cottage. Sirius was sitting in his yard, hovering around a fire. "You're free!"</p><p>Sirius looked up at him, red eyed and blue fingered. He'd been out in the snow for hours doing Gods knew what. As Sirius refused to tell him, the wary Remus refused to let him do it indoors.</p><p>"Does this mean I can come in now?"</p><p>"I'm sorry." </p><p>Sirius huffed a laugh. "Feed me and I'll think about it." </p><p>Remus still let him stay after all. He didn't give him a key, but since when had Sirius ever needed a key? All you needed was a good knife! </p><p>"What were you doing?"</p><p>"Magic. The good kind." </p><p>His mother always looked down on such hedge witchery, but who cared what that old hag thought? She'd been dead for years. Good riddance! The most important thing was that this "inferior magic" worked. It would protect his goddaughter. </p><p>Gods. How many years had it been? </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <strong>SIRIUS BLACK FOUND! </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>THE STORY OF AN INNOCENT MAN AND HIS HARROWING ESCAPE FROM AZKABAN</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>SIRIUS BLACK SWEARS TO CURSE 'SHITSTAIN WHO STOLE MY GODDAUGHTER'</strong>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p><br/>
"Erm...no, that's not what Sirius said," Remus tried to explain to overeager third years, "it's a misquote."</p><p>He only planned to curse the boy if the boy meant any harm. If he was just Harriet's friend, then this obviously wasn't a problem. If he was Harriet's boyfriend, Sirius would probably scare him a bit before checking the family tree to see if he really was related. Sirius wasn't the overprotective type. He'd been in jail for so long that he felt that he had no right to tell Harriet who she could and couldn't date (when they found her, that was). No, Sirius' ire was solely pointed towards the newspapers spreading rumors about his goddaughter.</p><p>Nevertheless, the idea that Sirius was an overprotective godfather spread all across Hogwarts. Their parents got a good chuckle out of it. </p><p>"She's a girl after all! It's only natural for her godfather to want to protect his goddaughter." </p><p>It was as if more than a decade's of injustice never occurred.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Time continued. Despite Sirius' best efforts, the news began to change and not for the better. Petunia's words reigned triumphant.</p><p>"What ever happened to integrity in journalism?" He oft complained. </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <strong>UNDERAGE GIRL-WHO-LIVED RUNS OFF WITH OLDER BOYFRIEND </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>THE KIDNAPPER OF HARRIET POTTER. WHO IS THIS MYSTERIOUS BOY? </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>MYSTERIOUS KIDNAPPER, POSSIBLE BLACK? </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>THIRTEEN YEAR OLD HARRIET POTTER FOUND! ELOPED WITH ILLEGITIMATE SON OF BELLATRIX BLACK </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>THE MYSTERIES OF BLACK, THE MAN WHO DEFEATED DUMBLEDORE</strong>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p><br/>
Bellatrix Black tried to moderate her tone of voice. She'd known how to once upon a time, back when she was still the pure and proper scion of an ancient and noble line. Her rough skinned hands gripped the bars so tightly her knuckles turned white. </p><p>"Whose...illegitimate son did you say he was?" </p><p>She was trying very hard to smile in a beautiful and charming way - just as her mother once taught her. Judging from the expression on the reporter's face, this was not the case. He was beginning to regret this idea..but not as much as Bellatrix made him regret. Even with only her words as her only weapon, she wielded them well.</p><p>Over the furious screams of Bellatrix Black, the reporter was escorted out by Aurors. </p><p>"I WOULD NEVER CHEAT ON MY LOR- I MEAN, MY HUSBAND!"</p><p>Said husband looked unconcerned by the uproar.  </p><p>"Within the bare walls of this prison," he said solemnly, "I have found my peace. The Buddhists were right. This life is but a temporary thing..."</p><p><em>This would make a good story</em>, the remaining reporters thought. The newspaper put it on the back burner for dull news cycles. </p><p>"But really though!" Somebody in the Daily Prophet declared, "We have got to find Harriet Potter!" </p>
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